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According to the plea agreement, Betts stole items from the CVS on Pennsylvania Avenue and then he and others set up propane cylinders and charcoal. Betts set a roll of toilet paper on fire and set it on top of the propane, which exploded and burned the CVS.

"Donta Betts engaged in arson, looting, assault and other mayhem during the Baltimore riots. He threw rocks at the police near Mondawmin Mall; tried to destroy police cars; stole from a pharmacy, a liquor store and a shoe store; and set off a homemade bomb," U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said in a statement.

Investigators said that in unrelated case on July 2, Betts shot a person who bought drugs from him. During the plea agreement, Betts said that person didn't pay him enough. He was arrested for the shooting on July 7.

Prosecutors said that while he was detained, Betts called a friend, which was recorded by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. In that call, Betts named the shooting victim and asked his friend to get others to obtain a signed affidavit from the victim stating that Betts did not shoot her. During the same call, Betts admitted that he shot the victim.

"He tried to murder a woman over a $20 drug dispute, then he conspired to get her to sign a false affidavit," Rosenstein said. "We caught him only because police and prosecutors spent many hours reviewing video and audio recordings. It may sound like a story arc from a TV series, but it is real life in Baltimore."

Under the plea deal, Betts will be sentenced to between 14 and 16 years in prison. The sentencing is scheduled for June 24.